Week of January 31, 2012
This week we began a new format for community service work with Steve. Each day right after physical education a small group of students went with Steve to do a variety of jobs around the school. The group is the same for the entire week and each one of your children will have an opportunity to participate during the remainder of the year. The children take great pride in being "the ones" who shoveled the walk for others, cleaned the windows in the hallway, or carried the chairs to the rack. Learning that we all have a responsibilityto do our part for our community and feeling the pleasure of contributing is a great day to start the day!
Two students presented the January food of the month, the carrot, to our class. Their presentation enlightened us on the many merits of this veggie and included a sampling of a variety of carrots. All week long the children have sampled carrots in many delicious forms ranging from muffins to puddings, rice to soup. How cool it is to develop such good eating habits and knowledge while enjoying tasty foods.
Brett introduced the idea of writing scripts this week during theater games. His prompt was met with excitement and I look forward to seeing what these burgeoning playwrights create. The hope is that we will have some shows to view before long; stayed tuned!
Week of January 23, 2012
Today a student asked me if he could research a mysterious Australian "dinosaur-like" animal he'd heard about. He excitedly told me what he knew about the critter, and then went off to share his interest with his classmates. By the close of the day he had info that he had acquired and was back telling me more about this animal I'd never heard of. We talked briefly of the Loch Ness monster and it made me remember the feeling of discovery and wonder about these and other equally enticing topics such as aliens, when I was an elementary student. How great it is that our children learn so much, ranging from how to use an index to how to spell a specific word ,while working on their research. Just this past week I heard a presentation on hockey (complete with a 3-D rink including a zamboni) , a discussion about a Revolutionary War battle and students' work on steam engines!
Punctuation has been a focus of recent language lessons. Some students worked on the use of apostrophes in contractions, and in singular and plural possessives. Others are learning about how sentences in order form paragraphs and another group is looking at the use of periods in abbreviations. With the variety of different work going on the children all learn from each other as they work side by side.
Here is to hoping for a whole week ahead with no snow days and everyone back and in good health! Hard to believe that we are already at the close of January, a month that has been too full of stops and starts, but the increasing daylight hours clearly marks the movement of time. Enjoy each day with your children, as these precious elementary years whiz all too quickly by.
Week of January 16, 2012
Here we are, at the half way point of our school year! It seems like just a short time ago that eager, sun kissed faces appeared at the door with hands full of school supplies, ready to dive into the excitement of a new school year. Knowing that the second half of our year will zip by even quicker, I've asked all of the third year students to take stock of their progress by reviewing a check sheet that I gave them at the beginning of the year. The sheet has lists of concepts that they are working towards mastery with. I have been meeting with each student to discuss their progress and needs, so now each of us, including me has a fresh "to do "list. As always, I am impressed with these earnest, self-aware students.
Beginning this Friday the second and third year students will begin an additional timed math test for the next six weeks and possibly longer. The test includes an abstraction of the concepts they have been working with using materials, as well as some new ways to look at math. I think this experience will be good at many levels: the children are being asked to read directions and follow them without asking anyone for help, it is another way to cover the State Standards and it is a practice in test taking. The first year students will continue their regular math quizzes during this time as they are still working at a very concrete level in the math area.
Phil Hamburg was a guest this week talking to the children about his trip to Chiapas, Mexico where he spent time with Amalia Ferdinad, from our school. Amalia is there working with the local children focusing on nature exploration. Phil shared some information with our students and invited them to correspond with the students to Chiapas. Many of our students drew pictures and wrote poetry that Phil is sending via cyberspace and in return he will share what Amaila's students have sent to us. We are looking forward to hearing from our "pen pals".
Week of January 9, 2012
Refreshed and recharged are words that describe the children after Winter Break. We began our time together reflecting on what habit we wanted to be finished with, what was getting in our way as students as well as what we wanted to work on to be able to do our personal best. Many new research projects are in the works, new lessons being followed up and old favorites revisited. I am grateful to such a fine start of the New Year and look forward to the productive winter months ahead.
Our first swimming lesson was a great one! Nervous swimmers now know what to expect and I am hearing eagerness about our next lesson. When we returned from the pool the children were already anticipating going again. The instructors evaluated each child and placed them in a level based on ability. At the end of the session you will receive information regarding your child's progress on the skills they have been working on.
We began knitting during quiet reading this week. Thus far we are still in the process of getting organized and many children will begin with finger knitting until they have mastery and then they can begin using needles. If any of you want to come and help guide some beginning knitters please let me know.
Week of December 12, 2011
S-u-c-c-e-s-s that is the way you spell success, the sweet success of being a part of the spelling bee this week! Many students from our class boldly stepped up to the microphone to tackle a word; a big congratulations goes out to all of the participants. We had a practice bee in our classroom last Friday afternoon to get warmed up, and many children practiced during class this week which all aided in making some of our classmates strong contenders right up to the final rounds. All of us, whether encouraging from the sidelines, or stepping up to the microphone really enjoyed this exciting event!
Science experiments are popular work choices right now. Current favorites are identifying which liquids are fluid and which are viscous as well as an experiment that demonstrates how two substances can combine and become one. After doing an experiment the children write down their observation as well as a statement about the result of their experiment.
We have had a week of celebrations starting with three birthdays in a row, followed by our festival of lights presentations, concluding with the Holiday Sing-a-long. I know that the excitement from our week will continue to build during the winter break ahead as you gather and celebrate the many joys of the season with your family. How ever you spend the time I wish you a warm, hopeful holiday season.
Week of December 5, 2011
Our sunrise/sunset time chart that the children are coloring in daily is a wonderful visual of the diminishing daylight which is occurring at a rapid rate this days. Studies of worldwide festivals of light are taking shape, full of interesting information and corresponding art projects. I have heard some plans for food to be made at home and brought in for presentations on December 16th. Please remember that all food must be nut and nut product free, thank you! I am eager to see all of this hard work come together in the presentations ahead and I know it will be a great way to spend our final morning before winter break. We are enjoying listening to and practicing the sing-along songs in preparation for our gathering that afternoon.
We had the final Great Lesson, the Story of Numbers, this week. The story looks at how over the years different civilizations have expressed numbers and recognizes that throughout time humans have had a need to do so. We followed up our lesson with an additional story about the early Egyptian numerals that were created from images about the Nile River that was so crucial to their civilization. Have your child share some of these fascinating stories with you.
Friday afternoons are even more anticipated now that Brett has begun leading Theater Games with the children. In addition to some relaxed read-aloud time and an end of the week reflection ritual, we've included some pretty exciting games to close the day. Last week I overheard one of the children saying that "she had been waiting all week for this!". We are so fortunate to have Brett's acting expertise and his willingness to provide this awesome opportunity for your children.
Week of November 28, 2011
Our classroom is a flurry of research activity as we have begun to work on presentations focused on worldwide Celebrations of Light. The children were introduced to this topic by listening to stories about the history of solstice celebrations dating back to early man who thought that the world was ending as the daylight hours gradually shortened. We then talked about how many celebrations of light have evolved and each child was invited to choose a topic and form a group so that they could explore their holiday and then present it to their classmates. The children are very excited and thus far I have heard some great plans for extensions such as food prep, costumes and so on, to be a part of our presentations that will take place December 16th, the final day before Winter Break.
We've been establishing some new routines to deal with all of the winter gear as well as to maximize our afternoon work time. The quest for making transitions smooth as possible and creating an environment to help each child meet their potential is ongoing and just like at home. It is an always moving target as seasons change and our children grow and change. This all happens so quickly and the goal for me is to always try and be present and aware so that my plan is truly what is best, lofty some days, manageable others!
We began a new book that I was able to purchase this week thanks to the gift certificate we won at Horizon Books because of all of your generous books purchases. Our new novel is Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick who wrote The Adventures of Hugo Cabaret which we enjoyed immensely a couple of years ago (and is now coming out as a film). After winter break the children will be invited to knit or "finger knit" during read aloud time so if any of you knitters would be willing to come in to help us get started please let me know.
Week of November 14, 2011
Our students now have a Upper Elementary reading buddy that they read with each Monday! During reading time each student from our class starts out reading to their buddy and then we switch over so that the older children are reading the younger students books to them, with the younger students following along. It is delightful to listen to the happy hum of voices, see new relationships being formed and all of the great reading going on! Book clubs continued on this week with a focus on poetry that was enjoyed by all.
We had the fourth Great Lesson on the history of Writing recently. This story talks about the evolution of written communication starting with pictures on cave walls up to our current alphabet. The children enjoyed listening and are especially fascinated with Hieroglyphics. Speaking of writing, many of the children are getting quite proficient with the cursive handwriting that they are practicing daily in their handwriting books. Now that they are able to form most of the letters confidently, the next goal will be for them to use their cursive throughout their classroom work.
Thanks to your generous support, our class received a gift certificate to Horizon Books in honor of getting 2nd place for the most books purchased at the book fair. The children are thrilled with all of the new books donated to our room, thank you so very much! They are sending me suggestions for what they wish to see our certificate used for, so more new books yet to come! I also am grateful for the time spent with each of you during conferences. I appreciate all of your insights and trust and I truly believe that by partnering together, we can provide the optimum school experience for your child.
Wishing you all a lovely Thanksgiving with your families,
Nadine
Week of October 31, 2011
This week has given us the opportunity to experience with change and transition with Will saying goodbye on Monday and Brett stepping in. The children made a lovely poster for Will which we presented to him along with many heart warming words of gratitude as part of our closure together. I know that Will left feeling all of the goodness your children shared with him and although there were some long faces, we had a positive meeting learning how to graciously say goodbye, something we all will do over and over again in our lives.
With the start of a new month and a new classroom community member, Brett, we have seized the opportunity to review our class creed and the freedoms and responsibilities that we all have. I shared with the children that one of my favorite observations this past week at the school I visited in Milwaukee was how the children really helped each other so that the adults were free to give lessons. It is a goal that we are working towards and already I am seeing the children step up to the challenge. In doing so, they will gain confidence and further cement their academic skills.
A snapshot of our week in math lessons ranges from finding prime factors, learning about multiples, practicing concrete subtraction with the golden beads, having a lesson on the wooden hierarchical materials (you'll have to have your child show you!) to working on multiplying with the checkerboard. And all of that doesn't even include what is happening in geometry. Attending the conference on math this week was very insightful and I am slowly digesting the information gleaned and look forward to implementing it. Ask me about some helpful math fact tools at conference time; I look forward to talking with all of you soon!
Week of October 24, 2011
The Story of the Coming of Human Beings, the third Great Lesson, was enjoyed by all this week. This story really opens the doors to history by starting with an impression of geological time, followed by an introduction to natural history and then ending with what is special about human beings. The story highlights the ability of humans to think and the ability to love and how important it is that we use these abilities to treat people, plants and animals with care.
We finished our read-aloud book on Christopher Columbus and have begun listening to some other short books about early explorers and Native Americans. The children are fascinated with these true stories and they have lead us to see how people throughout history have had dreams that they passionately followed and their resulting experiences. Hero worship is developmentally appropriate at this age and it is my goal throughout the year to expose the children to a past and present people who have made significant contributions to our world through biographies and autobiographies.
Michele Worden came in to introduce our food of the month, pumpkins. She told us about the opportunity for the elementary students to sign up to work collaboratively with other lower and upper elementary students on a presentation about the food of the month that they will take to the rest of the classrooms in the school. Each month a group of students will sign up to do the school wide presentation, an opportunity that allows them to serve their community, another important elementary task.
Week of October 17, 2011
Eyeballs, World War II, clouds, and dolphins were the featured topics for presentations this week. Many children have been engaged in interest based research and have successfully completed their polished copies along with an art project. I am asking them to present their work to their classmates prior to taking it home. After working through the writing process, having the culminating opportunity to share an accomplishment and speak in front of peers honors hard work and builds confidence. I love listening to the questions and comments afterwards, many of which inspire further investigation. By the way, do you know why some animals have two different colored eyes?
Along the lines of sharing work , over the course of the next couple of weeks the children will be going through their finished work with me, bringing home some to share with you and tucking away a piece they are most proud of for their portfolio. Enjoy going through their work with them, and remember that it is the process not the product that they are working on and that their repetition will lead them to mastery.
Daily we have been enjoying demonstrations that further solidify impressions on the three states of matter, solids, liquids and gases. Have your child tell you about Mr. Will's special lesson on a liquid turning into a gas. I wish Will all the best as he embarks on his new Science position. I know that he will be back to play four square on the playground with your children; he has formed many special bonds here. I am grateful that he will be training his replacement so that there will be a smooth transition for all.
Next week, I will be attending a Montessori conference in Milwaukee October 27th and 28th I look forward to new information and spending time with fellow Montessorians. I am grateful to be in a school that values professional development, I will fill you all in when I return.
Week of October 10, 2011
On a lovely sunny morning this week we all traipsed outside to line up along the sidewalk to listen to the history story of The Long Black Strip; the strip is almost 100 feet long! The Long Black Strip represents time from the beginning of the formation of Earth to the first human life on Earth. At the end of the black strip is a narrow white band representing the proportionate amount of time humans have existed on Earth. It is a stunning visual that the children enjoy year after year. Additionally, I think it is a wonderful springboard for discussions on our responsibly to care for the earth after we see the impact we have made it such a short time.
Our school wide Polish cultural celebration is in full swing now. The Worden family generously provided ribbons and stickers with the Polish symbol of a white eagle and the word Welcome in Polish. The children eagerly put on their ribbons to welcome our Polish presenter, Agnes Woynarowski, a toddler staff member. Agnes shared wonderful stories and photos with our class. Most striking were her comments about how it was to grow up in a Communist regime. Kristina has been offering traditional polish lunches this week which have been fun for the children to sample. I am sure that their will be some inspired researches who want to know more.
The children have been writing many topics for discussion in our Agenda book that we go over during our student run classroom meeting on Monday mornings. They have such a strong sense of justice and are deep into moral development and their concerns and solutions reflect this. I would encourage you all to have family meetings at home too. The children really own what is important to them, feel empowered by having their voices heard and are "on board" much more than if I would decide how everything runs. Nice to see how they are growing as a community, taking on leadership , responsibly and asking each other to be accountable.
Week of October 3, 2011
We have begun Writer's Workshop a couple of afternoons a week and your children have been working on writing about an experience they have had and illustrating their story. The variety of their topics is wide and I always enjoy reading their work as I get to know more about each one of them through their writing. Catherine Turnbull is working with the students on their research writing. It is wonderful to have her in the library to assist them in finding the books they need, reviewing their work with them and giving them instruction to support them in their writing process.
I recently attended a luncheon on Virtual Learning which was very thought provoking. The three panelists that spoke all addressed the merits of the use of technology in education, specifically on-line classes. They talked about how on-line learning allows for project based learning, pupils to work at their own pace, diversify and expand their interests and other aspects that all screamed "Montessori" to me. In this information age we are all living, I agree that technology is everywhere and we need to embrace it and I am thrilled to be a part of an educational system that can include technology in its culture but not create our culture around its use. I look forward to brainstorming these ideas with my colleagues as we move into a very rapidly changing world.
In closing, I'd like to share a quote with you that I recently read that is pertinent both at home school.
...And in the end, we have to be mindful that it is this process of trial and error that is really more important for the children than the ultimate answer. This is the process that they will need to be comfortable with when trying to work on challenging problems in their futures. They have to comfortable with failure and see it as part of the process of learning. We all know from our own life experiences that this is when we do our learning...
Enjoy these amazing early October Days~
Week of September 26, 2011
Thanks to room parents, Sue and Christina, for organizing our class picnic on Sunday evening. Both children and adults enjoyed some relaxed gathering time together on a balmy fall night. What a tremendous community we have!
I am watching the oldest children really stepping up to guide their classmates, new friendships being formed, and a sense of respect and commitment to each other developing. Of course, we are bound to run into some glitches along the way, but as a part of our class creed we have all agreed to communicate with each other. This week the children had a lesson on using the "peace mat" in our classroom as a tool to talk over concerns that arise. We focused on using "I messages", stating our needs and really listening to one another.
Daily, the children have time for quiet reading right after lunch. Some of the emerging readers take turns reading to me or Will. For those children not quite ready for chapter books, I pick out a bag of books for them to practice with for the week. Children who are reading novels can either check one out from our classroom or school library or bring one from home. The rule of thumb for a novel to be the appropriate reading level is that a child must be able to correctly read all but five( or less) words on a page. The third year students have begun participating in a book club with Catherine Turnbull that meets on a weekly basis. Groups will rotate over the course of the year so that everyone gets a turn.
We welcomed a new classmate, Ivy Libby, daughter of Karen and Michael Libby this past week. Congratulations go out to the Cueter family on the birth of their daughter Eleanor this week.
Week of September 19, 2011
This week, we listened to the story of the Second Great Lesson, the Timeline of Life. The children have been creating their own versions of the timeline by researching what animals were alive during certain eras and drawing them. Lower Elementary students love animals and the timeline is full of fascinating information that we will be going over in the weeks ahead.
I have begun individual meetings with each student and look forward to meeting once every two weeks with them. During this time we review planners, work they have completed, work in progress, lessons to follow-up and goals they have set and the progress they are making to meet them. I really enjoy hearing how it is going for each child and always marvel at the thoughts they share with me; your children are very accurate and honest with their self assessment!
We are continuing to focus on the balance of freedom and responsibility. When I meet with the children, if they have been recording their work accurately, they earn their new planners. If they are not recording their work, I temporarily choose their work for them. I am wanting to be crystal clear with the students from the get go about how they are going to be held accountable for their behavior and that the freedoms that they can have in our classroom must be earned by being responsible. By establishing that balance now, I believe that a productive and respectful tone will be set for the year!
Hope to see you all Sunday!
Week of September 12, 2011
Our elementary curriculum consists of Great Lessons, which are wonderful stories that give the children the keys to understanding the universe around them. Jill and I told the first of these stories, the Creation Story, to our combined classes. This story begins at the very beginning of time and describes the formation of the universe, complete with science demonstrations that go along with the narrative. The favorite demonstration was the final one, the volcano erupting, which actually set off a few ohhs and ahhs from the children! Our story has been followed up in class with some additional science demonstrations as well as a some other creation stories.
Camp this week was an absolute blast! We couldn't have asked for a better day weather wise and the setting at the Leelanau Outdoor Center has to be about the best you could imagine and it is right in our backyard! The children took place in a rotation of four activities that consisted of team building, a beach hike, archery and an introduction to compass use, known at camp as Pirate Compass. The children were thrilled with the grilled cheese sandwiches, choice of four soups and three types of cookies! I know they are already looking forward to returning for our overnight at the end of May.
Having gone through everything at least once now, a bit of a routine is starting to form. Will, known to the children as Mr. Will, so as not to confuse him with Will the student, mentioned today that he even felt like "he's done this before". All of the newness is exciting and exhausting these first weeks. Early bedtimes are encouraged as well as communication between home and school if you or your children have any questions. Please return your volunteer form by Monday if you haven't already. Remember to mark September 25th from 5-7 pm on your calendars for our class picnic at Silver Lake park. The flyer is posted on my web page for details.
Week of September 5, 2011
Our new school year is off to fabulous start! Our first task was to begin learning each others names by playing a variety of games. We toured the room and found materials that were familiar from primary and changes in the physical space from last year. After unpacking all of the supplies you sent in, we went to work getting them all put away. Thank you for sending in all that you have, your child is all set for the year!
We have begun writing our class creed by first thinking about how we want to feel in our classroom and thoughts like "respected", "listened to", "helpful", "included" and "kind were listed by the children. The next step in creating our charter will be to come up with very specific actions we can take to ensure that these feelings happen for us as well as to come up with a plan on how to deal with uncomfortable feelings when they arise. When our creed is complete each one of us will sign it and we will review it regularly to remind ourselves of what we've established as important so that we can support each other in maintaining the culture we want. It will be posted on the wall for all of us (and you) to read.
We also have talked about the many freedoms that we have in our classroom. Freedoms such as the ability to chose work, talk, sit where we'd like. These freedoms come with responsibilitiessuch as using our time wisely, being productive, recording what we work on. In order to keep the freedoms the children know that they need to balance them with responsibility or their freedoms will be taken away. We are working hard on establishing from the first day of school with great clarity and consistency how this balance works, so that your child will know just what to count on and be able to work up to his/her potential.
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